But fog set in. At 9:47 AM Pacific Time (12:47 PM Eastern), the helicopter crashed in Calabasas, on the other side of Los Angeles. All 9 people on board were killed. Kobe was 41, Gianna 13.
Reaction quickly came in from all over the world, from President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama to Franco Baresi, who knew the Bryants from Kobe's father Joe's time playing basketball in Italy, making Kobe a fan of the soccer team Baresi long served as player and captain, A.C. Milan.
Shaquille O'Neal, whose relationship with Kobe had been such a rollercoaster ride, became the father of his youngest daughter Me'Arah on the same day that Gianna was born, which may have helped bring the families closer together, to where he thought of Kobe's daughters as his "nieces."
He may have said it best: "There's no words to express the pain I'm going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi and my brother Kobe Bryant. I love you and you will be missed. My condolences go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. I'm sick right now."
Shaq and Kobe will be forever linked. And maybe, in spite of his huge size (and bigger personality), he's the right mirror for the public: His feelings for Kobe rose, fell, and rose again, as ours did.
Together, Shaq and Kobe led the Lakers to the NBA Championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and to the Finals in 2004, following a criminal investigation in 2003 that resulted in no charges being filed, but Kobe's reputation damaged, at least temporarily.
But their combined egos led to Shaq leaving. He won a title with the Miami Heat in 2006. Kobe brought the Lakers back to the Finals in 2008, but lost, and Shaq mocked him for it. Properly motivated, Kobe led the Lakers back to the title in 2009 and 2010.
The French author Voltaire wrote, "To the living, we owe respect; but to the dead, we owe only the truth." Well, Voltaire had his issues, like anyone would. So did Kobe. That's a truth that cannot be ignored.
Whether Kobe made up for his issues is for each of us to decide. The reaction to his death suggests that most of us have decided in his favor.
That doesn't mean that we should forget. It does mean that it is still possible to decide that the good he did outweighs the harm.
Whether Kobe made up for his issues is for each of us to decide. The reaction to his death suggests that most of us have decided in his favor.
That doesn't mean that we should forget. It does mean that it is still possible to decide that the good he did outweighs the harm.
*
January 26, 2020 was a Sunday. The Lakers themselves were not scheduled to play that day. But 8 NBA games were, and a moment of silence for the victims was held before each of them:
* The New York Knicks defeated the crosstown Brooklyn Nets, 110-97 at Madison Square Garden.
* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Washington Wizards, 152-133 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Trae Young scored 45 points for the Hawks, Bradley Beal 40 for the Wiz.
* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Orlando Magic, 112-97 at the Amway Center in Orlando. (It's now named the Kia Center.) Kawhi Leonard scored 31 for the Clips.
* The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns, 114-109 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Devin Booker scored 36 for the Suns, but it wasn't enough.
* The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Boston Celtics, 123-108 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Kemba Walker scored 35 in defeat for the Celtics.
* The Denver Nuggets beat the Houston Rockets, 117-110 at the Ball Arena in Denver. Russell Westbrook scored 32 in defeat.
* The Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs, 110-106 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio. Pascal Siakam scored 35 for the Raps.
* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Indiana Pacers, 139-129 at the Moda Center in Portland. Damian Lillard led all scorers on the day, with 50.
It was a Sunday, but it was the week between the NFL's Conference Championships and the Super Bowl, in which the Kansas City Chiefs would beat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20 in the Miami suburbs. There were also no NHL games, as the day before, the All-Star Game was held in St. Louis.
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